Forgotten

Chapter 24

            IT TAKES A WHILE, BUT FINALLY HAYLEY FALLS ASLEEP. Rowan gently eases her to the floor and crawls towards me, carrying the flashlight. Thankfully, the truck has passed onto a smoother road now, with less dips and jolts, which makes it easier for him to move. Rowan heads towards the box next to me and opens it up, smiling as he sees its contents.

            "Blankets," he says, tossing one to me. It's dark green, thick and scratchy, but it will be warm enough. Rowan crawls back towards Hayley and bundles her in one to keep her warm as she sleeps, then squeezes into the gap between the two boxes that I'm sitting in. We both wrap ourselves up, grateful for the protection from the chilly night air.

            Rowan places the flashlight between us, propped up with blankets so that we can see each other's faces in the yellow light. His gaze travels over me, seemingly taking in every detail, and suddenly his arm darts out towards the part of the blanket smothering my injured arm. I look down, and see that the blanket is already beginning to stain red.

            "Stella," Rowan says sharply, "that's a serious cut."

            "It's fine," I lie. "It doesn't hurt much."

            Rowan lifts the blanket and gently removes my arm. My blood drips onto his hands as he examines the wound, but he doesn't seem to mind. He steadies my arm with one hand and pulls out one of his own water canteens with the other. I freeze, drawing my arm back.

            "Rowan, you can't use that. That's our drinking water, and we don't know when we'll be able to refill."

            Rowan gazes into my eyes. "If I don't clean this cut, it'll get infected," he says, his voice perfectly steady. "You could die."

            Reluctantly, I allow him to pour some water onto a small section of his blanket and clean the wound. The cotton blanket stings the cut as it touches it, but I find myself enjoying the sensation of having my all the filth wiped away. Once the cut has been washed clean, Rowan uses his pocketknife to cut a long shred of fabric from his own blanket. He wraps it around my arm like a tourniquet and ties it tightly.

            "Thanks," I say, withdrawing my arm and examining the makeshift bandage. "That feels a lot better."

            We sit in silence, both of us watching Hayley sleep peacefully at the other end of the truck. After a few minutes, Rowan says quietly, "It's nice to see her sleeping, finally. It's been a long day." He sighs. "What happened in the tower, anyway?"

            I explain to him how I leaped through the glass, cutting myself like an idiot in the process, and took out the security camera. When I get to the part where the guard held me at gunpoint, I hear a sharp intake of breath from Rowan. I stare at him in surprise. "It was nothing," I say quickly. "I knew he wouldn't shoot me—after all, I'm only seventeen. I had to bluff for a while, but then Hayley saved me with some flying rocks." I laugh softly at the memory.

            "You could have died," Rowan says, his voice sounding oddly strained, his body completely rigid beside me. "That guard could have killed you with one pull of the trigger."

            "It was nothing," I repeat, trying to reassure him. "I got out of it, with a little help from Hayley."

            Rowan's posture slackens, and he leans against the wall of the truck. "You have to be more careful," he mutters, as if he hasn't heard me. "You almost got yourself killed."

            "No, I didn't!" I retort indignantly. "I got us through safely, undetected. The only thing I would have changed was...was that murder." I glance at Hayley. "It was all adrenaline—I didn't even know what I was doing. It's my fault, all of this. I can hardly blame Hayley for being terrified of me." I feel a wave of exhaustion sweep over me, and bury my face in the blanket.

            "Don't talk like that." Rowan recovers suddenly from his state of shock, reaching out for me in concern and taking my hand. "You did what you had to—you saved her. Someday, she'll understand."

            "I let a four-year-old girl see me murder a man in cold blood," I whisper, turning to him with tears in my eyes. "How is that in any way justified?"

            "If you hadn't," Rowan says sternly, "you would have watched the guard murder that same four-year-old girl. You had no choice. We all do what we can to save the ones we love." His green eyes glow in the darkness of the truck, fixed intently on my own.

             I drop my gaze and stare down at my lap. "I guess it would be long overdue if I thanked you for...everything you've done for us."

            Taking me by surprise, he leans closer, so close that I can feel his breath against my cheek. "Everything I've done for you," he murmurs. His arms come forward and wrap around me, drawing me close. I turn my head slightly towards him, and for the first time in a long time, I can detect a smile on his lips. "As much as I care for Hayley, I have someone else I want to protect, too."

             "Me?" I whisper, leaning into him.

            His lips graze my neck, and this time his voice beats against my skin as he speaks. "Stella," he breathes, "I would go to the end of the world for you."

            This time, I take charge, wrapping my arms around his neck and bringing his lips to meet mine. He is soft, gentle, just like the first time, but there is an unmistakable desperation about him as he presses me down against the boxes and almost to the floor. He leans over me, kissing me passionately until all I can see, think, taste, and feel is Rowan. He is here and he is everywhere, his lips and his touch sending my mind swimming until no coherent thoughts can leak into the blissfulness that has taken over every particle of my being.

            In the end, it's me that places a hand against his chest, gently easing him off me until our foreheads touch and the kiss is broken. I'm almost gasping, my heart racing with exhilaration, and there's a part of me that still wants more.

Reluctantly, he draws back, his eyes never leaving mine. Our hands are still interlocked tightly, like two vines that have knotted around each other and refuse to let go. I never want him to leave me, never want him anywhere except by my side and with me, through me, in me.

            "I won't ever leave you, I promise," he murmurs, as if reading my mind. "You won't have to kill anyone else for Hayley."

            "You don't get it," I say softly, leaning my head forward so it touches his again. "I'd kill again, and again, and again, if it kept Hayley safe. If it kept you safe." I pause, closing my eyes and breathing him in. "I'd do anything for you, Rowan. I know that now."

            "Then maybe," he whispers back, his lips unconsciously straining towards mine again, "it would be best if we fought together."

            "I think you're right," I laugh, and reach up to kiss him again.